When we last checked in with our party, they were making preparations to leave the Fishermen’s Guild Hall to begin their assault on the cannery. As they prepared to leave, a deep thump shook the ground beneath the town and discordant chimes filled the air around everyone. Saving throws were made and those that failed experienced a vision while those that saved saw those around them freeze in place while the various wards covering the walls of the guild hall glowed and smoked.
Those that failed found themselves standing in a wind blasted desert under a black sky filled with madly whirling stars. White sand and low scrub, bare rock and ice cold winds were all that surrounded them. Looking to the sky, a shape moved against the field of stars. This immense shape quickly filled the sky, seemingly bigger than the world itself. It appeared to have a long, snake like tail, a humanoid body with four long spindly arms ending in hands with fingers like knives and no head. An eye opened in the center of its chest, filling the sky like the sun. It looked down at them and in their minds they heard a thousand voices speak, not quite in unison:
On the pillar of Ormen
stands a solitary candle
at the center of it all
you’re mine
One of the giant hands moved toward them, fingers like skyscrapes, and sunk in to the desert. Kilometers of sand around them were lifted up toward the gigantic eye, filling the entire sky. Again, the voices spoke:
On the day of execution
Only women kneel and smile
at the center of it all
you’re mine
Just as it all became too much for them to bare, bells could be heard ringing throughout the darkness. Clear, constant, high tones and low ringing filled the air. With that, the eye went wide with both shock and fear, screaming:
No, how is it here?!
With that, the vision ended as suddenly as it began, leaving only sand in the mouths of those that saw it. Jones was taken by the vision while Duncan resisted it. Jones was visibly shaken, already weakened by his experience with the clones death. After pulling himself together, he told the party he would research as best he could what they had seen, hoping that he would have more information on just what that was when they returned.
The party traveled to the cannery without incident, finding the town almost peaceful during the day. Dark clouds and a low mist hung over them as they approached the gates leading to the yard in front of the cannery. Another thump and the discordant chimes were heard again, this time leading to a rift in the air above the party. Through this rift fell two blink dogs, who the party quickly befriended. Waters and Gilmour blinked in to the yard to get a look at what they were up against, they saw four bronze constructs and multiple carts of bodies and body parts. Another thump and the chimes returned again, this time the party saw green orbs streak out across the sky, heading out from somewhere in town. As one passed over them, the dead collected in the carts rose and began attacking the constructs. The party joined the fray, making short work of first the constructs then the remaining undead.
Reith snuck in to the cannery proper, getting a count on the foes inside as well as a view of what was happening inside. The remains of a battle with the restless undead was wrapping up inside as well, with a construct in rough shape as it finished the last of the zombies. A hybrid nearby took out a magic wrench, large with five glowing emeralds in its head, and hit the construct. One of the emeralds went dark as the construct magically returned to perfect working order. Reith could not resist such a fantastic item so he lifted it from the hybrid before returning outside to update the party. The main floor of the cannery was loud, dim and filled with constructs, hybrids and sinspawn being used for labour. The canning line had been repurposed to process bodies in to blood, bones and meat cubes, all of which were being packed up for transport. There were various rooms along the side of the building, only the first one had a door with any glass on it. It contained a construct and a desk, as well as a lockbox.
The party moved in, prepared to handle the various groups inside however they could. Tumbili was inspired to attempt to enthrall the entire production floor, unfortunately he was less then successful. Seventeen hostile individuals descended upon them, leading to a very grim situation for the party. Through a combination of luck, good use of their various items and skills and keeping their wits about them, as well as serious sacrifices by Waters and Gilmour, the party was victorious. Seriously wounded, the dogs departed for the guild hall, hoping for a chance to recover before they attempted to find a way home.
The party continued clearing the building, stopping first at the office at the front. The construct appeared to be deactivated as it did not react to them entering the room. They found a fair sum of gold and some items in the lockbox and a sealed letter on the desk. It read:
Kromgar,
Here is your replacement construct. This will be the last one issued as we cannot continue to divert resources from the Countesses breaking efforts. If you destroy this one tinkering with it, you will need to report it directly to the Countess yourself.
It has some of the modifications you requested, most were considered too costly. It has not been attuned yet so please do not allow any of your minions to strike it, that attunement cannot be undone and this construct is too powerful to be under the influence of one of those idiots.
Please do not fuck this up.
Gaelin Caitris
Volévont Manor Quartermaster
No sooner had the last line been read before Reith struck the construct with his newly acquired wrench. It immediately came to life, following the party. It was larger than the other constructs they’d encountered so far, it had a black finish and a plate with the serial number R4D on its chest. It had the same net gun as the others but off the back was a stone cone with various spiral carving on it.
The party turned to leave when another thump and the chimes came again. Nothing happened, as far as they could determine. Moving on to the next room on the side of the production floor, they found themselves in a locker room, with a dead hybrid on the floor and four Skin Stealers in the process of helping themselves to some skin. R4D quickly showed some of the upgrades it had compared to normal constructs by firing a trio of magic missles from the cone on its net gun. The party made short work of the Skin Stealers after that. From there, they found the lunch room. Four hybrids had their day ruined, including one being punched across the room by the party’s new friend.
After tossing the small office they found next for goods, they moved on to the workshop. Reith found the hard way that the door had a bell to announce visitors on it, getting the attention of Kromgar Shatterforged and his newly modified construct. This one looked similar to R4D but had a long stone tube hastily attached to its shoulder. Krom was a dwarf once, although he now was well along a transformation in to some kind of Deep One type creature. He knocked back a vial of something which caused him to really bulk up while losing some of that dwarven charm. His construct began launching fireballs from its stone tube, much to the dismay of the party. R4D and Krom’s construct went toe to toe, trading blows that rang like bells. Krom took Thrakal to school, sending him retreating in to the healing arms of Tumbili.
A botched roll on the constructs part resulted in its stone tube exploding, reducing it to a pair of bronze legs. Krom fought hard but was overwhelmed by the combined might of the party. As he struggled to remain on his feet, a rift opened on the wall at the back of the workshop. A large, reddish tentacle passed in to the room, gliding toward Kromgar. He spoke in relief, assuming it was there to assist him but it flipped its end back, exposing a long spike which it drove up in to the back of Kromgar’s head. He was lifted by the force of the spike, twitching as his eyes rolled back. After a few full body convulsions, his body went rigid and his eyes turned black. The tentacle turned the body toward the party and it spoke:
Release me
Stunned, the party could only stare. Again it spoke:
Release me!
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea” Edward said, in reply
I cannot remain here as this world
is pulled beyond the planes
and your world
will not survive her coming
Release ME
Find Manturok’s Black Star before she can break it
It can neutralize her relic
I cannot stop he-
Suddenly, a womans voice came from beyond the rift:
“What are you doing, you disgusting mass of flesh?”
The discordant chimes came and the tentacle went rigid and pulled back through the rift, dragging Kromgars body with it.
The party recovered what loot they could find and headed back to the guildhall, hoping to make some sense of what just happened.
Early Frost Warning 